Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montreux

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,440 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
Learn more

Montreux Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Montreux

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Montreux actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,440 in Montreux, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Montreux $3,440

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,245 in Montreux, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Montreux $5,245

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,050 in Montreux, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Montreux $7,050

Playa del Carmen is about 65% cheaper than Montreux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Montreux is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$30.54 CHF 25.19

-64.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$125 CHF 103

-65.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$18.32 CHF 15.11

-35.70%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$6.07 CHF 5.01

-37.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.07

$4.61 CHF 3.80

-72.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$4.05 CHF 3.34

-80.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$9.70 CHF 8.00

-67.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$9.49 CHF 7.83

-48.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-36.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.31 CHF 2.73

-32.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-57.23%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$7.09 CHF 5.85

-64.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$24.79 CHF 20.45

-70.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$28.28 CHF 23.33

-72.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$39.88 CHF 32.90

-68.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.65 CHF 3.01

-23.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-17.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.46 CHF 2.03

3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.60 CHF 3.80

-53.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.86 CHF 1.53

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.92 CHF 1.58

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.69 CHF 1.39

-30.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$11.00 CHF 9.08

-60.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.05 CHF 9.94

-17.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.73 CHF 2.25

-42.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-17.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$4.21 CHF 3.47

-86.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$104 CHF 85.4

-74.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$7.47 CHF 6.16

-33.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.76 CHF 3.10

-11.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$64.8 CHF 53.5

-91.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-40.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-46.56%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-40.76%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,592

$288 CHF 238

-70.59%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$439

$37.64 CHF 31.05

-37.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$52.2 CHF 43.03

-45.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$89.6 CHF 73.9

-36.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$45.58 CHF 37.60

-36.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$24.18 CHF 19.95

-78.74%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,878

$2,443 CHF 2,015

-91.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$35.9K CHF 29.7K

-89.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$135 CHF 111

-67.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$78.7 CHF 64.9

-47.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$168 CHF 139

-55.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$184 CHF 152

-51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,773 CHF 1,462

-44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,473 CHF 1,215

-74.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,960 CHF 2,441

-42.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,500 CHF 2,062

-56.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

-75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$12.5K CHF 10.3K

-50.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$8,161 CHF 6,732

-91.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.95

487.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montreux: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Montreux

$1.5K 42.8% 287% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Montreux

$575 16.7% 126% $321

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Montreux

$474 13.8% 134% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Montreux

$378 11% 176% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Montreux

$255 7.4% 128% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Montreux

$138 4% 105% $71

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Montreux

$147 4.3% 191% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,773 in Montreux. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Montreux are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $125 in Montreux. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $575 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Montreux

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,208

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Montreux 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montreux

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Montreux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreux is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,160 in Montreux. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,773 in Montreux.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,443 in Montreux. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Montreux, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Montreux at $3,440. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.